Speaker Boehner Continues Threatening American Jobs and Roads, Bridges

Our nation marks the 58th anniversary of the Federal-Aid Highway Act this week – legislation signed into law by Republican President Dwight Eisenhower, which has funded our interstate highway system since then.  Today, the Highway and Transit Trust Fund, a key component of this act, is in peril as it faces a shortage in funds.  Editorial Boards and Americans have called for a fix.  And Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx recently sent letters to each state's transportation secretaries and transit agency officials highlighting the impact congressional failure will have on job-providing road and bridge projects.

"On average, states will see a 28 percent drop in federal transportation dollars.  Depending on how they manage the funds, each state will feel the effects differently, but everyone will feel the impact sooner or later.

"In fact, the worst part of this crisis won't be the projects that are put on hold this summer, but the long-term projects down the road that are never even started. The uncertainty over federal funding will cause states to pull more and more projects off the books. And once they're off, it's very hard to put them back on.

"This is not something a country expecting up to 100 million new people by 2050 can afford."  [7/1]

Yesterday, President Obama again urged Republicans to take immediate action to fund infrastructure projects throughout the country.  And what are Republicans doing?  They have done nothing to address the issue except add doubt and uncertainty to our economy.  As the National Journal reports: "In the meantime, some conservative groups and Republican lawmakers are seizing on the funding shortfall…and they are downplaying the dire warnings of not moving quickly to replenish the fund..."  [7/1]

Republican President Dwight Eisenhower recognized the importance of investing in our infrastructure.  And House Democrats have already introduced legislation that would address this issue and make critical investments across the United States.  Speaker Boehner, the time is now for you act on the best interest of the country, not the fringe right wing of your Party.  The time is now to get serious about modernizing our roads, bridges, railways, and transit systems.  Stop putting hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk.